California head coach Mike Montgomery yells from the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Southern California, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Photo: Ben Margot, Associated Press

California head coach Mike Montgomery yells from the sidelines...

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Senator Leland Yee speaks with the media in his office on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. Yee, a UC Berkeley graduate, has released a statement saying Cal coach Mike Montgomery should be suspended for shoving a player.

Other than reprimands from his athletic director, the commissioner of his conference and even a state senator, Cal head coach Mike Montgomery apparently will not be subject to any further disciplinary action as a result of his striking swingman Allen Crabbe during Sunday night's game against USC.

Asked specifically if she considered suspending Montgomery for a game, athletic director Sandy Barbour replied Monday in a text message to The Chronicle, "We've issued our comments on the matter."

So did state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, a Cal alumnus who reacted to an incident that received steady play Monday on ESPN.

"I urge the university to take swift disciplinary action of at least a one-game suspension," Lee said in a statement. "While I have a lot of respect for coach Montgomery ... his actions at last night's game are completely unacceptable. We do not accept such behavior by our professors and administrators and we should not tolerate it with our coaches."

In a statement reprimanding Montgomery, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said, "Each Pac-12 coach must be aware that (he is) an example to student-athletes ... and consistent with this influence and visibility, must meet a particularly high standard."

In a statement issued Sunday, minutes before midnight, Barbour said, "It is inappropriate for our coaches to have physical contact with student-athletes regardless of circumstances. The second-half incident was certainly out of character for Mike Montgomery, and I am confident that something like this will not happen again."

Montgomery did not apologize for his punch-shove of Crabbe in the immediate aftermath of Cal's 76-68 comeback win over the Trojans. In fact, his first comment on his attempt to motivate Crabbe was, "Worked, didn't it?"

Be that as it may, Montgomery was compelled to apologize less than two hours after the game in a statement that was released with Barbour's rebuke of her basketball coach.

"I have great passion for this game and tonight, I let my emotions get away from me in the heat of the moment," Montgomery said. "While my intent was to motivate our student-athletes, my behavior was inappropriate and I apologize for my actions."

The incident took place during a timeout with 16:31 left in the game and Cal trailing USC 44-32. A visibly intense Montgomery braced Crabbe and thrust his hands into the player's chest while asking, "Do you want to play?"

Upset at the treatment from his coach, Crabbe had to be walked off the court by teammate Justin Cobbs to cool off before re-entering the game at the 16:19 mark. Crabbe ended up scoring 14 of his 23 points from that point on and said after the game that he understood why Montgomery did what he did.

"Coach used his way to motivate me," Crabbe said. "There's nothing wrong with it; spur of the moment. He was trying to motivate me. Everything is fine."

Whether or not Montgomery's action did indeed inspire Crabbe, the junior was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the second straight week in an announcement that preceded Montgomery's reprimand by the conference.

"After it happened, I told myself, 'Don't let it bother you,' " Crabbe said. "I had to compose myself, take a deep breath and get out there."

In Cal victories over UCLA and USC, Crabbe, the Pac-12's leading scorer, averaged 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists. In the USC game, Crabbe made 5 of 11 shots from three-point range and also pulled down 10 rebounds.

"He walked off, composed himself, and came back and won the game," Cobbs said. "I was telling him we'll stay together. He's like a brother. I know Allen; I saw the situation he was in. I told him, 'Relax, bro, we're going to come back.' ... You see the results when he's motivated."

With his one inappropriate gesture, Montgomery instantly raised the profile of Cal basketball, but not for the reasons he'd like.

The incident with Crabbe made the rounds on ESPN, starting with a late "SportsCenter" on Sunday night and continuing Monday on "SportsCenter," "Around the Horn" and "Pardon the Interruption," whose hosts, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, called for Montgomery to be suspended for a game.

Cal's season continues this week with games at Oregon on Thursday night and at Oregon State on Saturday afternoon. The Bears, 16-9 overall and tied for fourth in the Pac-12 at 8-5, have won five of their past six games.